What about nuclear energy, Liberal MP asks

As the federal coalition debates the future of energy policy, one Liberal MP believes nuclear power should be on the table.

If the government was going to look to the future all sources of energy must be considered, Queenslander Jane Prentice said.

"I think it's another discussion we need to have," she told reporters in Canberra the morning after the coalition party room debated Chief Scientist Alan Finkel's energy security report.

"It's clean."

Labor's assistant energy spokesman Pat Conroy said it would take 15 years to build up a nuclear industry, which would be more expensive than renewables.

"It is a red herring by people who aren't serious about combating climate change," he said on Wednesday.

"Leave aside the environmental implications, if you want to get cheap energy in this country that's reliable you need to invest in renewables."

Former treasurer Wayne Swan doesn't think nuclear power has a role in Australia.

"They sound pretty desperate don't they," he said of the coalition.